Home Office

Domestic Abuse: Dudley

Marco Longhi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to protect victims of domestic abuse in Dudley.

Victoria Atkins: Domestic abuse is a horrific crime that shatters the lives of those affected.The Home Office has provided over £1.6m for projects to support domestic abuse victims and their children in the West Midlands and Black Country.The landmark Domestic Abuse Bill, reintroduced on 3 March, will help to better protect and support victims of domestic abuse and their children across the country.

Domestic Abuse: Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2020 to Question 28041 on Domestic Abuse: Children, whether the Domestic Abuse Commissioner has been asked to make recommendations to Government on how to address the needs identified in delivering community-based support services.

Victoria Atkins: As I indicated in response to the Hon Member’s Question 28041, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner has agreed to lead an in-depth exploration of the current support landscape for domestic abuse in England and Wales over 2020/21.It will be a matter for the Commissioner to determine how to conduct this review and what to include in the report on her findings. However, it is open to the Commissioner to include any such recommendations as she may see fit with a view to driving improvements to the provision of community-based support services across England and Wales.

Youth Investment Fund

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the £500 million Youth Investment Fund.

Victoria Atkins: The Government recognises the value of good quality youth work and the positive role it can play in the lives of young people. The £500million Youth Investment Fund will provide multi-year funding for new and refurbished youth clubs, support for detached youth work, investment in youth worker skills, and for community-based youth projects. The new £500m Youth Investment Fund will start in 2020/21 and run over five years. This investment will be a balance of capital and revenue funding.Our departments are working together to consider how the Youth Investment Fund can support our efforts to reduce crime, and in particular violence and exploitation.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Public Libraries: Remote Working

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whats steps are being taken to keep public libraries open for people who cannot work from home.

Mr Simon Clarke: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



On 23 March the Prime Minister announced new measures to lock down the United Kingdom for a minimum of three weeks, stating that libraries were among the premises that had to close immediately. People should stay at home, except to shop for basic necessities, take exercise, address medical needs, and travel to and from essential work. More information can be found at the following link:https://www.government-online.net/the-prime-minister-announces-new-measures-to-lock-down-the-country/

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Off-payroll Working

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many contractors working for her Department have had their employment status assessed in relation to the new IR35 rules on off-payroll working; and how many of those staff are subject to those rules.

Mims Davies: As at 1st April 2020, our records show that DWP has a total of 448 contingent labour workers through its Public Sector Resourcing contract engaged across the Department. Of these, under the definitions in accordance with the HMRC Off-Payroll working legislation: 53 are assessed and engaged as ‘Off-Payroll’;383 are assessed and engaged as ‘On-Payroll’, and;12 are engaged under a PAYE basis and therefore outside of the scope of the off-payroll working legislation. Whilst the updated legislation for off-payroll working has been postponed for 12 months, the 2017 Off-Payroll working legislation still applies to public sector bodies, and DWP continues to carry out its obligations accordingly.

Cabinet Office

Election Offences: Prosecutions

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many prosecutions have been brought against people alleged to have been in breach of UK electoral law in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Chloe Smith: Data on electoral law offences is not collected or held by the Cabinet Office. The Electoral Commission reports on breaches of UK electoral law and will hold more detailed information.

Bullying and Harassment: Ministers

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2020 to Question 25185, for what reasons only figures for the Home Office were supplied and not figures for all government departments; whether those figures provided include grievances against Ministers; for what reasons grievances against those in Government who hold public office are not recorded separately to grievances against Government employees; and if he will publish information on grievances against all Ministers (a) individually or (b) by Department.

Chloe Smith: As I set out in my answer to Question 25185, the annual report of the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests sets out details of investigations undertaken by the Adviser into alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code. The next annual report will be published in due course.